THURSDAY, 15 FEBRUARY, 2018 Learning To Fly is a half-brother to the stakes-placed MAYFAIR OFFERINGS LEAD Astronomy=s Choice (Fr) (Redoute=s Choice {Aus}), and his dam is a half-sister to the stakes winners Pacifique (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) ARQANA FEBRUARY and Prudenzia (Ire) (Dansili {GB}), the latter the dam of G1 Irish Oaks winner Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). Anthony Stroud was also the name on the ticket when Lorgnette (lot 353) sold for i1 million at the Arqana August yearling sale in 2014, and she would go on to race just twice unsuccessfully for Markus Jooste and Bernard Kantor. The daughter of the Group 3-placed Dance Secretary (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), a half-sister to the champion miler Perfect Soul (Ire) (Sadler=s Wells), will now join the first book of new Haras des Granges stallion Johnny Barnes (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) after being snapped up by Jake Warren for i200,000 in foal to Le Havre (Ire). Johnny Barnes was one of the first horses to race for Bermuda Thoroughbred Racing, and his four wins for trainer John Gosden included victory in the G3 Prix Quincey Barriere in 2015. He was Jake Warren signs for second-top lot Lbretha | APRH recently retired to Haras des Granges in the Southwest of France. Cont. p2 Buyers during the second session of the Arqana February Sale on Wednesday capitalized on the opportunity to scoop up offerings from Mayfair Speculators, with three of the top four lots formerly representing that stable. The Tattersalls February sale two weeks ago enjoyed a boost from the sale of a handful of lots formerly owned in partnership by Mayfair Speculators. That was again the case in Deauville on ARQANA FEBRUARY SALE Wednesday, the offerings raced by Markus Jooste=s stable alone or in partnership including the i300,000 colt Learning To Fly CUMULATIVE 2018 2017 (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and the i200,000 filly Lorgnette (Ire) $ Catalogued 415 307 $ Number Offered 352 263 (Galileo {Ire}). $ Number Sold 279 201 The February Sale was this year staged over two days $ Not Sold 73 62 compared to one last year, and figures held steady with 89 more $ Clearance Rate 79.3% 76.4% horses offered. The clearance rate for 279 sold was 79.3%, and $ High Price i300,000 i210,000 $ Gross i2,794,300 i2,075,900 the aggregate i2,794,300. The average dipped slightly (3%) to $ Average (% change) i10,015 (-3%) i10,328 i10,015, while the median was down 20% at i4,000. $ Median (% change) i4,000 (-20%) i5,000 China Horse Club signed for Learning To Fly (lot 245) for i300,000 at Arqana=s August yearling sale in 2016, and subsequently put him into training with Andre Fabre in partnership with Mayfair Speculators. The bay broke his maiden IN TDN AMERICA TODAY by two lengths in his lone outing at Lyon-La-Soie on Oct. 25, and that proved sufficient to hold his value on Wednesday. Anthony HORSES A TIMELESS PURSUIT FOR J.J. PLETCHER Stroud was the winning bidder this time, but a client was not Chris McGrath chronicles the career of J.J. Pletcher. Click or disclosed. tap here to go straight to TDN America. TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 2 OF 9 • THETDN.COM THURSDAY • 15 FEBRUARY, 2018 De Barros, whose wife Elodie is a significant breeder of SESSION TOPPERS trotters, bought a nomination to Siyouni on Arqana Online in December. Another Mayfair Speculators connected offering, the twice- ARQANA FEBRUARY SALE raced i250,000 yearling Emotion (Fr) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) Lot Name Status Price (i) (Lot 336), found favour when secured by Charlie Gordon-Watson=s 245 Learning To Fly (GB) In training 300,000 assistant Will Douglass for i75,000. Emotion is a half-sister to two (c, 3, Oasis Dream {GB}--Astronomy Domine {GB}, by Galileo {Ire}) stakes horses and a granddaughter of the Group 2 winner and (i300,000 yrl >16 ARAAUG) multiple stakes producer Spectacular Joke (Spectacular Bid). Consigned by Andre Fabre The most expensive yearling sold on the day was a colt by the Purchased by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock in-form Dabirsim (Fr) (Lot 259) picked up by the Fairway Partners for i30,000. 287 Lbretha (Fr) Out of training 260,000 (m, 5, Exceed and Excel {Aus}--Actrice Francaise, by Dynaformer) (i190,000 2yo >15 ARAMAY) Consigned by Haras de Castillon Purchased by Bertrand Le Metayer Bloodstock 353 Lorgnette (Fr) i/f Le Havre (Ire) 200,000 (i1,000,000 yrl >14 ARAAUG) Consigned by Ecurie des Monceaux Purchased by John & Jake Warren Mayfair Offerings Lead Arqana February Cont. from p1 Warren explained, AShe is for the owners of Johnny Barnes, who are keen to support their stallion. They have been looking for quality mares and she fitted the bill perfectly.@ The 5-year-old maiden mare Lbretha (Fr) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) (Lot 287) was a listed winner racing in the Al Shaqab silks, and the daughter of the Dynaformer mare Actrice Francaise, formerly a i190,000 Arqana breeze-up buy, was picked up by Bertrand Le Metayer on behalf of new breeder Samuel de Barros for i260,000. AShe is for Samuel de Barros, who is starting out as a Thoroughbred breeder,@ said Le Metayer. AThis will be his Throwback Thursday: Lester Piggott pictured with Vincent O'Brien in second broodmare. I liked the fact that she has strains of 1991. Piggott, known as The Long Fellow, rode nine Epsom Derby winners: Never Say Die (1954), Crepello (1957), St. Paddy (1960), Sir Machiavellian and will be very easy to mate with Galileo and his Ivor (1968), Nijinsky (1970), Roberto (1972), Empery (1976), The sons.@ Minstrel (1977), and Teenoso (1983). | racingfotos.com TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 3 OF 9 • THETDN.COM THURSDAY • 15 FEBRUARY, 2018 YOUNG GUNS BILLY JACKSON-STOPS Young Guns is a series where we endeavour to find out more about some of the young professionals in the industry. Today we speak with bloodstock consultant Billy Jackson-Stops of Atlas Stallions. Vice President, International Operations Gary King TDN: What was your path into the industry? Twitter: @garykingTDN [email protected] BJS: My brother and I were big jumps racing fans, having been + 1.732.320.0975 brought up opposite Towcester Racecourse, so we started out by riding point-to-pointers. Then when I left school I got some International Editor work experience with James Delahooke at Tattersalls and my Kelsey Riley interests soon changed from jumps to flat racing, and from there Twitter: @kelseynrileyTDN I got a job prepping yearlings at Hascombe and Valiant. [email protected] European Editor TDN: Who has been the biggest influence on your career? Emma Berry Twitter: @collingsberry BJS: My time as assistant trainer to Godolphin in Australia was [email protected] most influential because I spent all of my days one-on-one with John O'Shea. John is a remarkable trainer and had some very Associate International Editor alternative views on life. He was lot of fun to work with and we Heather Anderson had a huge amount of success together. He was willing to Twitter: @HLAndersonTDN discuss anything and had an in-depth knowledge of pedigrees, Marketing Manager which helped open my eyes to what I'm doing now with Spill The Alayna Cullen Beans. Twitter: @AlaynaCullen [email protected] Contributing Editor Alan Carasso Twitter: @EquinealTDN Cafe Racing Sean Cronin Tom Frary [email protected] Irish Correspondent Daithi Harvey Regular Columnists Andrew Caulfield Billy Jackson-Stops | Alayna Cullen John Berry Kevin Blake Tom Peacock TDN: What does your role involve? Cont. p4 TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 4 OF 9 • THETDN.COM THURSDAY • 15 FEBRUARY, 2018 Young Guns: Billy Jackson-Stops Cont. TDN: What challenges do you face in your role? BJS: The majority of my time is spent managing Spill The Beans, BJS: This year has been incredibly competitive on the stallion who stands at The National Stud; he's the first son of the sire marketing front with so many new horses coming onto the sensation Snitzel to stand in market, so the challenge for Europe. I started a small anyone with a stallion is to get company, Atlas Stallions, so I Be completely confident in the mares booked in. Fortunately could lease Spill The Beans from Spill The Beans has generated a Aquis Farms in Australia to stand decisions you make and have the huge amount of his own interest him here in the UK because I felt patience to let the effects of those through being the first son of he would fit well into the current Snitzel to stand here; he makes commercial and speed-oriented decisions play out in front you rather life easy by also being very easy market. Along with Amy Taylor than trying to constantly interfere on the eye and by having an from The National Stud I manage amazing race record. Promoting Billy Jackson-Stops the nominations, finances and him has been a fun challenge to marketing for all things Spill The take on. Beans and Atlas Stallions. I'm currently consulting for a Away from that I have a lot of trainer in Qatar and trying to my own bloodstock interests improve his operation. A lot of that I manage both here and in Australia. Then I consult on both the horses that end up there are the lower tier horses from the bloodstock and racing for some private clients here, in the UK that have had previous issues and the only training track in Middle East and in Australia. Qatar is a hard dirt surface. Cont. p5 TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 5 OF 9 • THETDN.COM THURSDAY • 15 FEBRUARY, 2018 Young Guns: Billy Jackson-Stops Cont.